Coffee Filter Leaf Garland: An Easy Fall Craft for Kids

Every year we say we are going to slow down and do more of the little things with our kids once fall hits, and we’re always so grateful when we actually follow through. This coffee filter leaf garland is so easy and it took one package of coffee filters, a handful of markers, and about twenty minutes of very happy scribbling.

The best part is that the coffee filters do most of the work for you. The kids color, spray a little water, and the colors bleed and blend into something that looks like a real autumn leaf. String them on twine and suddenly you have fall decor your kids made themselves, hanging in the window catching the afternoon light.

What You Will Need

Almost everything on this list is probably already in a kitchen drawer or a craft bin. Here is exactly what we used.

• White basket-style coffee filters. The flat basket kind gives you a bigger circle to work with than the cone kind. (Amazon)
• Washable markers. We used Crayola Ultra Clean, and yes, the washable part matters. (Amazon)
• A spray bottle (Amazon – this one doubles as our hair spray bottle too) or a few eye droppers (Amazon). Either one works, and the droppers double as a sneaky fine motor exercise.
• Natural jute twine for stringing the garland. (Amazon)
• Kid-safe scissors with blunt tips if they’re going to be doing the cutting. (Amazon)
• Our free leaf template (you can grab it a little further down) and a pencil for tracing.
• Things you already have: a baking sheet for drying, and something to protect your table.

Grab Our Free Leaf Template

We drew up three simple leaf shapes, an oak, a maple, and a plain pointed leaf, so nobody has to freehand anything. Print it on regular paper, cut the shapes out, and use them as tracers on your dry coffee filters. It is free, no email required.

How to Make a Coffee Filter Leaf Garland

1. Flatten your coffee filters. Press each one open on the table so you have a flat circle to color on. If you’re worried about the surface your coloring on, slide a paper towel underneath, because the marker may soak through.
2. Let them color. Hand over the markers and step back. Fall colors look best (yellow, orange, red, a little green and brown), but do not police it too closely. Big loose blocks of color bleed much prettier than tiny careful drawings.
3. Add the water. A few spritzes from a spray bottle, or a squeeze or two from an eye dropper, and the marker starts to spread. Damp is plenty, no need to soak it. This was our kids favorite part.
4. Let them dry. Lay the filters flat on a baking sheet or paper towels. We put ours outside to dry and it took about 30 minutes but make sure to watch them so they don’t blow away.
5. Trace your leaves. Set a template on top of a dry filter and trace around it with a pencil. You can usually get one big leaf or two smaller ones out of each filter.
6. Cut them out. This is a perfect job for little hands and blunt scissors. Wobbly edges look more like real leaves anyway.
7. String the garland. Cut a long piece of twine, then snip two tiny slits near the top of each leaf and thread the twine through so the leaves lay flat and slide where you want them. A pieces of tape or dot of glue works too if you would rather not cut slits.
8. Hang it up. A window is our favorite spot. The light comes through the filters and the whole thing glows.

Why We Love This Craft

It is cheap, it uses something you might already have in the pantry, and it turns into decor instead of one more piece of paper on the fridge. It also stretches across an afternoon in the best way, because there is a drying break built right into the middle of it. Our kids colored, ran off to play while the filters dried, and came back for the cutting and stringing like it was a whole second activity. The water spraying was for sure the most exciting part but we’re okay with that!

Tips for the Best Coffee Filter Leaves

• Use washable markers, not permanent ones. Permanent marker will not bleed, and it will end up on your table.
• Go lighter on the water than you think. Too much and the colors turn muddy gray instead of blending into pretty oranges and golds.
• Layer two or three colors right next to each other before spraying. That is where the prettiest blends come from.
• Let the filters dry completely before tracing and cutting. Damp filters will just tear.
• Stack two dry filters and cut them together to save time once you have a rhythm going.
• If they dry wrinkly and it bugs you, press them under a book for a few minutes, or iron them on the lowest setting with a piece of parchment on top.

This one has already been placed in our window and we are not taking it down until Thanksgiving!

Looking for more easy kids crafts? Try our 10 Easy Fall Crafts for Kids We Want to Try This Year next.